FORGIVE ME

What might have been an interesting novel about a young American woman reporter who travels to South Africa at the height of the apartheid struggles and then returns ten years later to cover the reconciliation testimonies quickly unfurls into a narrow, self-pitying saga. Nearly half the novel is finished, with the story trivial at best, before Nadine decides to return. Anne Marie Lee's narration is adequate, but this book could have been greatly helped by a male voice reading the journals of the murdered boy, who one expects to be the center of attention. Instead, Jason's words greatly resemble the feminine whine used to recount Nadine's childhood. Overall, the main character is so unsympathetic that this book is not enjoyable. R.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]